Bidding at auction can be a thrilling and rewarding experience and we would be delighted to see you at one of our future sales.

Sale Dates

Visit our auction calendar to see forthcoming sale dates

Register via our website to receive email notifications of forthcoming sales and we can also tip you off when items of specific interest will be featuring in our sales.

Viewing

We would love to see you in the saleroom.

• Typically viewing takes place the day before a sale from 10 am until 5.30 pm and on the morning of sale from 8.30 am.
• Viewing staff and porters are on hand in the sale room to assist in locating items of interest and to offer guidance on any aspect of the auction process.
• If you are unable to attend we do provide detailed high resolution images of all lots and we are always happy to provide condition reports with further images where appropriate. 
  How to bid

There are a number of bidding options available:

• In person – if you are attending a John Goodwin sale and wish to bid we ask that you complete a brief paddle registration card, find a comfortable seat, grab a cup of coffee and bid away!
• Commission bids – also known as an absentee bid. This is the maximum bid that you would be prepared to place on a lot.  It is by no means an opening bid and will be executed as cheaply as other bids (or a reserve) allow.  A bid can be sent by email, please make sure it is received before the sale starts and that it is acknowledged alternatively you can telephone us to register a bid at the sale room on view or sale day. We will always confirm your bid by email, please check the lot numbers and maximum bid carefully and if no email is received call us at the saleroom before the auction begins.
• Absentee bids via the internet - there is an option to register an absentee commission bid before the sale via the John Goodwin or Easy Live Auction bidding platforms. This is a ‘secret’ bid unknown to the auction team and the system will automatically bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid amount. This works a little bit like the eBay model.
• Bidding live via the internet – with all of our sales we offer a live bidding facility. You will be able to follow the sale live via the John Goodwin auction website or the Easy Live Auction website from the comfort of your armchair at home and bid on items that are of interest to you. You will need to register before the sale and there is an additional premium that will be charged if you are successful when bidding on line.
• Telephone – we can arrange for you to be able to bid over the telephone. The minimum opening telephone bid is £200. Telephones must be booked in advance of the auction and are available on a first come, first served basis.  There is no charge for this service however the auctioneer will reserve the right to open the bidding at £200 on the telephone.

Buyers Premium

As is commonplace, there is a buyers premium in addition to the hammer price which varies from sale to sale. The John Goodwin premium is significantly lower than many other auctioneers but don’t forget to take it into consideration when placing your bid. If you do bid using the internet bidding option then please remember that there may be an additional premium to pay unless you choose for the low cost registration option.

How do I find out if my bid has been successful?

We endeavour to contact all successful, and unsuccessful, bidders on sale day.

• Automatic email notifications are sent out immediately following the auction.
• You are welcome to call the saleroom whilst the sale is in progress, and we can update you. Sale prices are also updated live online as the sale progresses.

Payment

For those attending the sale, payment must be made before items are collected.  

• At the sale room we are able to accept debit card payment or cash up to £5000 in English sterling banknotes. I’m afraid we are unable to accept credit card payment.
• If you are unable to attend the sale then payment can be made over the telephone by debit card up to £300. For more expensive items then payment must be made by bank transfer to the John Goodwin client account. For overseas payments we recommend use of Wise.com.

Collection/postage and packing

It is really important that we clear the saleroom as soon as possible following the sale and we have fairly strict deadlines to enable us to clear the room to enable us to set up our next auctions.

• If items cannot be collected we arrange to have items removed from the saleroom to a remote storage facility.
• We prefer to avoid this if at all possible, not only does it incur you in haulage and storage costs it also involves us in the administration to organise transportation and also to make collection arrangements as storage is off site.
• We can sometimes arrange a basic, uninsured, postage and packing service to UK mainland addresses, we are unable to assist with overseas shipping. Our p&p service is uninsured and entirely at the buyers risk.
• This is dealt with on your behalf by a local contractor and is often a very cost effective solution.
• Please contact us before a sale if this service is of interest so that we can check whether or not the contractor is able to assist.
• Typically, charges range from a minimum of £10 plus VAT to deal with the packing, packing materials and administration plus the ‘postage’ costs.
• Most items are sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery or Parcelforce (up to 2KG) but for larger consignments we can try to organise a courier or pack for collection by your own courier.
• Our packer may be able to offer a ‘pack only’ service for your own courier to collect, as with p&p we strongly recommend that you contact us prior to bidding so that we can check whether this is an option.
• Many regular bidders use the services of specialist auction logistics firms. These are the experts who are able to deal with a very wide range of items, worldwide shipping and offer a fully insured service. The following companies collect from us on a regular basis:
  • Mailboxes etc. Worcester: 01905 671765 worcester@centres.mbe.uk
  • Bid & Box: 07871 799383 sales@bidandbox.com
• For transportation and delivery of larger items nationwide we recommend that services of Paul Gurden who can be contacted on 07890 926530 or pgurden@aol.com